Customer Reviews

All-Clad Master Chef 2 1-1/2-Quart Saucepan

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a serious cook who wants serious quality cookware, then All Clad is a great option. If you are not 100 percent familiar with All Clad, here is a brief description of what you can expect from them...All of their lines have a full aluminum core (which provides excellent heat retention and distribution) and stainless steel interiors (which offer an easy to use, non reactive cooking surface). It is the best of both worlds combined in one piece of cookware. The difference between the various lines of All Clad is simply the exterior surface...stainless steel (obviously their Stainless line), anodized aluminum (the LTD line), Copper (Copper Chef line), Stainless with an added layer of copper in the core (Copper Core), and brushed aluminum (the MC2 or "Master Chef 2" line). They are all, in my opinion, excellent cookware, but each one has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of the Master Chef 2 line, which this saucepan hails from are:

1)The brushed aluminum exterior gives it added thickness and heft. In my opinion, this provides better cooking qualities than most of the other AC lines (except for the LTD which is even slightly thicker). While all lines of AC perform beautifully, I feel MC2 has slightly better heat retention and distribution. I enjoy the cooking experience a little more with MC2 than I do with the stainless line.

2)It costs less. I think we all agree that's an advantage!

However the main disadvantage of the MC2 line, in my opinion, is strictly cosmetic. Straight out of the box, the saucepan will look beautiful, but over time, it's exterior will undergo intense marring. It doesn't matter how much you baby your cookware, these pans scratch horribly and discolor very easily. I don't care what anyone says...I have tried every trick in the book to rid my MC2 of their ugly discolorations, and nothing works. And as far as scratches go, once they're there, they are there for good. If looks are a big issue with you and/or you keep your pots and pans on display in your kitchen, bear in mind that these pans take quite a beating. These just will not have the striking beauty of the stainless or copper core line.

As far as this particular saucepan, it's definitely a winner. With the thick aluminum core and exterior, you will definitely enjoy the performance that this pan will offer you. Your sauces won't scorch as easily as lower quality pans and you will find you will have much more control over your cooking with a pan like this. It is certainly a joy to cook in it, as is all of All Clad cookware. And the accompanying stainless steel lid is durable and tight-fitting, everything a lid should be. Do bear in mind that this saucepan is not like a typical two quart saucepan. Most 2 quart pans are wide and short. This pan is tall and narrow. (It doesn't even measure 6 inches across and is smaller in girth than my 1 and a half quart saucepan). The advantage to that is you will get less splatter and less evaporation with a pan of this shape, but to me, the narrow girth of this pan is a distinct disadvantage. I cook on Thermador burners which are very wide. The flame on my burners completely devour this pan and I have to use a medium to medium low heat setting at the most or the flame will lop up the sides of my pan. If you have pro appliances with wide burners, then this will be an issue for you. You will either have to use a low flame or invest in a simmer plate. This fact, along with the exterior marring, is what made this pan lose a star for me. However, if I were to rate this pan solely on performance, then it would earn five stars all the way! Even with the drawbacks, I'm still a very proud owner!

I've only had this pan for about a week now, but so far it's been just what I needed. I've used to to warm cream and, along with a metal Amco mixing bowl, serve as a double boiler, where I prefer a pan taller than it is wide, and it's worked just fine. I don't think the appearance is as attractive as the stainless or even the LTD lines, but it's not bad, really. Performance matters more, anyway. Plus, I found this pan mis-marked at Dillard's for a mere $23.75, so I wasn't going to pass it up just because it isn't shiny on the outside. A pan of this size and shape is very handy to have, and I would buy this one again without hesitation...even though I personally would rather have the stainless, mainly because I wonder how well the exterior will wear.

I have about 7 All-Clad Master Chef2 pans and I love each one! This pan has been extremely useful in heating up sauces and small soups. It's my favorite pan to heat up a jar of pasta sauce. I highly recommend it!

I am not as thrilled with the 2-qt sauce pan as with other sizes from All-Clad. I have the 1.5, 2 and 3-qt versions, and all are well made, beautiful to look at, and heat up and hold heat beautifully. My only gripe with the 2 qt model is that it is too small a diameter pot, just a taller version of the 1.5 qt. It would have more utility for me if it were the same diameter as the 3 quart. I have a Thermador gas range, and I have to set this pot on the small diameter burner, at a very low setting to keep the flame from curling around the edges. this is fine when I am boiling a small amount of liquid in the 1.5 pot, but with a larger volume of water it takes longer to heat.

I have a mixture of saucepans from the brushed-aluminum exterior MC2 line and the stainless exterior lines. I like them both. Perhaps the brushed aluminum bottoms may prove harder to keep clean than the somewhat more expensive stainless models, but so far I don't have any problems that way.

I also purchased Bar Keeper's Friend as a cleaner/polisher, based on a previous reviewer's recommendation on Amazon. I indeed found it next to the Ajax and Comet at my supermarket. It does a beautiful job of making my pots look sparkling!

Every time I used this sauce pan, I am reminded of the craftsman ship of All-Clad and never regret spending the money on something so crucial to my cooking needs. The size of the saucepan is absolutely perfect for small jobs and highly recommend it for all your kitchen's needs; for most kitchens, I recommend a 2 and 4 qt saucepan (I actually have a 3.5 qt). I don't need to say how perfect it cooks food because that's a given with all of All-Clad's products.

The only con is the hefty price tag which, I have to admit, is a little high. I encourage all readers of this review to realize that when you buy a piece of equipment this high quality, you will buy a saucepan that will last you for the rest of your life.

I admit it's hard to realize that it will last that long - especially for someone as relatively young as I - and hard to admit that I should stop focusing on the price tag - especially for someone who isn't exactly "rolling it" like me - but I can't be more happy after realizing that I'm basically set for life.

To contradict myself however, I would honestly prefer the MC2 line over the Stainless because of the price. The only difference between the two lines is the external finish of the product - they still share the same cooking qualities. So with that, I would highly recommend this product because it will still last as long and cook just as good as the more expensive line.

If your kitchen needs a small saucepan and want a product that will last you for life, then buy this item.

This is Master Chef 2 (MC2) which has a brushed stainless steel exterior on the pot but not on the lid unlike the other ones I have reviewed which have shiny clear stainless finish on exterior. At first the exterior of this MC2 is a gorgeous shiny with a very light brushing which looks like an art work but as you use it it becomes darker unlike the other ones which have a shiny look without the brushing effect. All-Clad is the only manufacturer that has one piece base, not a glued on piece like Fitzer which chargers you arm and leg. Secondly the main part which is the pot is manufactured in US not anywhere else. The lead is manufactured in China. This is not a non stick surfacing so it will stick if you have dry ingredients or too much heat. Just insure to heat your stainless steel slowly and you will see miracles since it heats evenly and gets extremly hot even at low heat. Clean only with Bar Keepers Friend® Cleanser & Polish: 12 OZ and you will have centuries of service out of this product. Leaving hot water for few hours and preferably overnight will soften anything that is sticking to the stainless steel and then it can be removed without damaging the finished product. Never use scrubbers and always dry after washing for spotless look. This is the only product that I buy which is US made since really, it is that good... Simply Bravo.

I burned my medium-sized saucepan years ago. It could not be salvaged. I cooked for years with no saucepan because I couldn't decide what type to purchase.

This is a great addition to my kitchen. It is *smaller* than I imagined, but I suppose I could have actually measured out what 2 quarts were going to look like before I ordered it and I would have known to order the next size up. Didn't think about it, though. (I recently heated up 3 cans of Stagg chili, and it couldn't have taken a fourth, so if you are a person that needs a story in order to picture something, there you go.)

Things can stick to this pan, so read up on using All-Clad pans ahead of time to get the best results. I think the story is that you need liquid in this pan. If things start to stick, add liquid. But Google that yourself, just in case I am remembering it wrong.

For those who thrive on design? This pan is sleek and simple. The handle is long enough that it doesn't get too hot. 5 stars.

and that's all that counts! That, and the item appears very durable, with lifetime warranty.

I chose to try the Master Chef 2 construction because it is the line used in the Food Network's 'Iron Chef America' kitchens, and I wanted something to replace both a very old, very thin stainless steel pot and a newer, but very, very heavy Calphalon anodized aluminum pot. As with everything else I have gotten from the Master Chef 2 line, this piece does a better job than anything of the same size and shape which I have replaced. I have both the 2 quart saucepan and saucier, and find that I really need both. The saucepan is superior for straight cooking, as when making rice or blanching small vegetables, but the saucier is superior for, you guessed it, making sauces, risottos, oatmeal, and anything else which requires constant stirring. And, you often need to do both at the same time, so they make a very nice team.

The high sides on this pot make it great! perfect pot for sauces, oatmeal, etc.